1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool which may be mounted upon a prime mover, such an industrial robot, for the purpose of handling a variety of different size and shape packages, such as those commonly used for consumer and pre-consumer packaging of various beverages.
2. Disclosure Information
The distribution of various packages of food items, particularly beverages, is rendered more difficult by the fact that beverage containers come in a variety of sizes and shapes. For example, beverages are marketed in 12 ounce cans, one liter bottles, smaller bottles, and larger containers having all sorts of sizes and shapes. Moreover, the packages used to hold such beverage containers come in a scarcely fewer number of sizes and shapes. It is often necessary for beverage distributors to break down pallets or subdivide pallets of beverages at a distribution point, because frequently the beverage retailer whose order is being filled does not desire to take delivery of a full pallet of one particular type of beverage. Thus, a full pallet having but one type of beverage packaged in a single type of package, will need to be broken down. Unfortunately, use of picker and packer employees to handle such packages results in considerable expense for labor.
The present invention uses an end of arm tool mounted on a robot, with the robot preferably mounted on a track, to pick a variety of different types of packages, for the purpose of loading the packages on a pallet for shipment to, for example, a retailer of packaged goods.